


Starlight at Garlond's

by obviouslyelementary



Series: Final Fantasy XIV [8]
Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Family, Fanart, Fluff, Gen, M/M, Pre-Canon, Starlight Celebration (Final Fantasy XIV), Teenager Cid, Teenager Nero, its just a holiday fanfic leave me alone, no beta we die like men, pre game
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-30
Updated: 2020-12-30
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:54:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,158
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28428864
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/obviouslyelementary/pseuds/obviouslyelementary
Summary: Every year, Amanda Garlond makes a big Starlight celebration party.(It's a god damned holiday fanfic okay? leave me alone I'm soft. Accompanied with fanart at the end!)
Relationships: Cid nan Garlond/Nero tol Scaeva
Series: Final Fantasy XIV [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2029102
Comments: 4
Kudos: 7





	Starlight at Garlond's

**Author's Note:**

> I swear the ship is gonna make me go insane i love them so much

The starlight celebration. Once a year, every single city state in Eorzea put up decorations, lights and different ornaments all around their streets and homes to celebrate the starlight phenomenon. They dressed up in ridiculous costumes, lied to their children about a man in red that made his passing to every house, leaving presents to every kid, and sang jolly songs to pretend as if their world wasn't in complete ruin. It was a stupid celebration, not even worth a mention, and most Garleans agreed that they had nothing to do with it. By the starlight time, most Garlean towns were just as they were the rest of the year: clean, efficient, and ready for war.

But that was, of course, _most_ Garleans. Not all, unfortunately.

Probably one of Midas nan Garlond's biggest embarrassments – at least in Nero's eyes, that was – was probably his wife's constant need for pretty things, and those things included a Starlight celebration every single year. Out of all houses in the big city, the Garlond's was the most decorated, bright, filled with outside decorations. Things that Amanda Garlond had somehow found a way of buying and bringing inside. It was such a common thing for them that most of the city didn't mind. In fact, they liked it, always present in the big family's starlight celebrations, purely for the aesthetics, the good food and the connections they could make.

It wasn't as if Amanda wasn't aware that people liked her party for their own personal agenda, but she enjoyed it nevertheless. Another moment that she could spend with her husband, Nero presumed, considering the chief engineer's busy schedule. And it was quite a party too, nothing missing.

Thing was, everyone in the whole empire knew about the starlight celebration at the Garlond's residence, even the people who were born as far away from the city as possible. It was very likely that even the Eorzean's knew, and they probably felt very deeply about it, since neither Garleans nor Amanda had any religious attachment to the holiday. It was all about the pretty lights. And Nero, well, he didn't despise it but he surely didn't love it either. It was just a side effect of becoming close friends with Cid Garlond, something else he had done simply for status, very much like Amanda's guests in her celebrations.

Still, it came with a price.

"Please Nero, give me a smile?" she begged for the tenth time, the photography projector firm in her hand. Nero swore he would have been used to it by now, this humiliation, considering this was the third starlight celebration he was invited to, and yet he felt ridiculous in all senses of the word. Ugly handmade sweater, reindeer antlers on his head, and pictures in front of the tree? If his father didn't already despise him, he would surely now.

"Come on" Cid mumbled next to him, giving him a light nudge with his elbow and showing off his toothy grin, honest happiness in his face. Disgusting. "For mom? You never smile!"

Nero was surprised at how many words he could spill out while keeping his grin intact.

With a sigh through his nose, he turned his eyes back to the projector and gave the smallest smile he ever did. For someone as usually confidant as he was, he just didn't feel right in this situation. It was so damaging for his reputation. Amanda, however, seemed pleased, and smiled brightly before snapping a bunch of photos, pulling away when she had at least twenty to choose from. Cid chuckled at his mom's enthusiasm, watching when she rushed to get the projections into paintings, while Nero pulled the antlers away from his head and threw them on the couch.

"I hate this" he said, unable to hold back, pulling the sweater away from his body as well and sighing while fixing his good shirt, now all ruined. "Can you imagine how much people will laugh when they find these? I must have them deleted before we graduate the academy Garlond, that is a fact."

"My mother would never let you delete anything. Besides, it's just a photo. What's wrong with that?" Cid asked, fixing his hat and grinning. "I quite like it. Makes my mother happy, and it's pretty."

"Your mother's and your fascination with shiny things" Nero rolled his eyes, taking his sweater and folding it just so Amanda wouldn't be upset in case she saw it. "I need to change, this shirt is ruined."

"I can lend you some, come on" Cid pushed Nero towards the stairs, and they followed it up towards his bedroom, getting inside and closing the door. Nero walked to his bag and pushed the sweater inside for later, before turning towards Cid and raising an eyebrow at the shirt he was offering.

"Really Garlond?"

Cid snorted, putting back the flowery mess of a shirt he had surely offered as a joke, before retrieving a button up dark blue shirt with some silver details. Nero sometimes felt incredibly ridiculous, staring at the quality of, well, everything that Cid owned. Rich, important families. Nothing he knew of.

"Here. This one is more your taste. You can keep it, as a Starlight gift" Cid said, handing it to him, and Nero almost felt offended, as if he needed Cid Garlond's charity. He thought about saying it, but then again, this was a shirt designed by one of Garlemald's most prized tailors... "I don't like it, doesn't suit me."

"So that's why you are giving it away?" Nero asked, still sounding slightly offended, taking off his shirt and putting the one Cid offered anyway. It matched well with his pants.

"I'm not giving it away, I'm giving it to you. It fits you" Cid said, the smile on his face showing both honestly and malice. Nero knew that smile. He smirked back. "I wouldn't give it away."

"No, I bet not" he said, making his way around the bed and moving until he was nose to nose with Cid. "Tell me, now that I'm wearing it, does it fit as nicely as you imagined?"

"Better" Cid mumbled, leaning up and stealing a quick, breathless kiss from Nero, finishing it off with a gentle nibble to his bottom lip. Made his legs wobble just slightly. "You know... we don't have to go downstairs... mom's guests will arrive soon, she won't even remember we are here."

"And pass the opportunity to meet some of the biggest engineers of Garlemald? No chance" Nero said, malicious eyes staring deep into Cid's. "We can continue this game later. Right now I have people to impress."

"Of course you do" Cid rolled his eyes, but left with him to the party anyway, locking his room behind himself, still wearing the stupid hat and sweater his mother had given him.

Nero had to admit, after three years, that maybe that celebration wasn't so bad after all.

**Author's Note:**

> Like usual comments and kudos are appreciated and so are prompts in case anyone has any


End file.
